It
had been a long night with little results. Tired, sweaty, and weary the
fishermen were spent. They had returned to their former vocation,
choosing to catch fish instead of catching God’s vision. The waters were
the same waters they knew from years of experience and tenure. Yet
tonight, the sea did not produce the harvest they were looking for.
Disappointed, not only by their lack of catch, but also by their leader
being put to death, via crucifixion. Their humiliation, shame and guilt
compounded with their lack of results on a lonely night spent wrestling
with the pain of yesterday and the hollowness of today. No leader, no
mission, no fish, no vision. Even the job they knew was not producing
fruit.
Have
you ever felt that all your attempts at success go awry? Does it seem
that everything you have hoped and wished for completely disappears into
the seas of loneliness, depression and low self esteem? Many times life
is so harsh that it threatens are willingness to try anything new and
we get complacent, not wanting to try anything for risk of failure, risk
of persecution, risk of embarrassment. This is exactly where the enemy
wants us to be, on the bench and out of the game. He knows that if he
can consternate our enthusiasm and crush our will, his will has won. His
desire is that we are not successful, not joyful, not hopeful, not
productive, not creative, not anything that would reflect the image of
God in which we were made. Therefore, we are burdened by past defeats,
reminded of past sins, accused of sins that were never committed,
frightened by persecution, shamed by the shortcomings of our faith,
ridiculed for trying again, and made slave to our selfish nature. Not
only does he hit us in our Achilles heel, but he also uses “so-called”
good things to distract us from the best things. Jesus was led in the
desert to be tempted and Satan promised Him everything. “If you bow
down to me, I will give you all the Kingdoms of the earth.” It just
sounds weird…really, I mean you are going to tell the Son of God he can
have all the kingdoms of the world? However, we forget that Jesus was
not only fully God but fully human and was tempted with the same things
we are such as power, position and authority. Scripture says that he was
tempted in every way but was without sin. Satan also used scripture to
tempt him. (Please don’t be naive enough to think that he doesn’t know
God’s word. He does and he corrupts it, perverts it and manipulates it
to persuade us against the will of the Father.) He also took him to a
high place and told him to cast himself down and then quoted Psalm 91
which says that God would “Command his angels concerning him not to let
his foot hit a stone.” Jesus resisted and fought back with Scripture. He
said, “The Word also says not to put the Lord your God to the test.”
The scripture he used for the bowing down request was this. “You shall
only worship the Lord your God.”
It
is imperative that we know and understand scripture, not only through
memorization of the actual words and sentences but that we also know its
meaning and context. You see Satan poses as an “Angel of Light” someone
or something that seems best and seems to speak of truth but when
tested with scripture fails every time. Many times in my own life have I
become busy with activities that were good activities but were not the
best activities. When I type these words, I think about the story of
Martha and Mary. Martha was so excited to have Jesus in her home that
she wanted to make everything perfect: sweeping the dirt floor,
arranging fresh flowers, cleaning the silverware, straightening the
furniture, cooking the meal and preparing the table. All of which were
good activities, but Jesus said that Mary chose the activity that was
“best.” She chose to sit at the feet of Jesus and be taught, taking in
all that the Savior was saying. Too many times we busy ourselves with
Martha activities, Martha events, Martha associations, Martha church
groups, Martha community service, Martha everything; yet we fail to sit
at the feet of Jesus and taking in the words of the Master, “the words
of life…beautiful, wonderful words of life.” You’ve been there too, I’m
sure. PTA meetings, Wed. Bible study, Monday night outreach, Sunday
School, Sunday Morning worship, Sunday evening worship, Meals on Wheels,
and the list goes on and on. None of these activities are bad
activities, but some of them can lead us so far away from the real
treasure, Jesus. We miss Christ for the Christians. We
are so good at pleasing others that we forget to please God. This
morning, I had a lot of household tasks and hobbies that I could have
involved myself with as I only have a few hours before I have to get
ready for work. Plus, the wife and kids are visiting family outside of
town. Therefore, I have peace and quiet and freedom. I didn’t
necessarily want to write this morning, even though it was on my list to
do. However, I felt that God was leading me to do so and therefore I
chose this best activity over those which were good activities. It has
been my experience to pray this way, “Father, thy will be done in my
life today. Holy Spirit lead me to the right things, the right people
and right activities so that I may be led to the best that God has for
me today. In the name of Jesus, Amen.” Submitting to the authority of
God never disappoints. Submitting to the whims and demands of this world
and people, even good people, often falls short of God’s best for our
lives.
I’m
sure the disciples were feeling that none of the activities they were
trying seemed to be working out very well. All the tricks of the trade
were failing. The good nets did not net anything good. The pockets of
the sea where success had been accomplished before did not yield
anything worth bragging about today. All the maneuvers and techniques
and skills that had yielded them so much success in the past was failing
miserably. Then, they heard a voice. “Cast your nets on the right side
of the boat.” What must have crossed their mind “Who is this sideline
quarterback?” “How does he know where the fish are?” “Besides, we
already tried the right side, ain’t nothing there!” “Where is this guy’s
credentials, his fishing license, his experience, he’s got nothing on
us!” Oh, but He did. He had everything on them. He knew everything about
them and believed in them nonetheless. Eventually, they listened to
this beach side encouragement and cast their nets on the right side.
Just then, something amazing happened. What had seemed impossible was
now possible. What seemed unbelievable was happening before their weary
eyes. Schools of fish caught in their nets. So much so that the boat
started tipping to one side and was about to turn over. They were close
to land so they got out and pushed the boat to the shore. When they got
to the beach, they surveyed their catch, a miracle of 153 fish! They
didn’t think they would bring home anything after the night they had.
Discouraged, depressed and downtrodden, they were heading home and Jesus
spoke life into their dead attempts. He spoke encouragement in their
sorrow. He spoke success in their failure. He spoke faith in their
doubt. He not only gave them something to eat, but enough to give out to
others or sell for profit. Jesus also gave them community and breakfast
to eat. Apparently, he was a fisherman and fisher of man. He had caught
fish, cleaned them and prepared a meal, then asked the disciples to
bring some they just caught to cook as well. On the seashore where they
first met the Savior, the Savior met them again. He reminded them of
their calling. He reminded them of his grace. He reminded them of his
love. Not only to cast their nets to the right, but to “Cast your cares
upon me, because I care for you.” That day, Jesus gave his disciples 153
reasons to follow Him again. He cared for them and he also cares for
you.
